Fort Smith Visitor Center, Photo courtesy of Fort Smith CVB.
The interior of Fort Smith, Photo courtesy of Fort Smith CVB.
Fort Smith Trail of Tears Overlook, Photo courtesy of Fort Smith CVB.
The gallows at Fort Smith, Photo courtesy of Fort Smith CVB.
in a time when gangsters sought out the wealthy,” explains Hoyt. From Tulsa, a two hour drive to just over the Arkansas border leads to the Fort Smith National Historic Site, the namesake of this military outpost founded in 1817. With 19th century artifacts including weapons, tools and the court gavel used by the so-called “Hanging Judge,” the site showcases the location of the first fort that’s no longer standing, and the still existing fort’s use through the Civil War years and as a Federal Court from 1872 until 1896. The outpost’s strategic location where the Arkansas and Poteau rivers converge became all the more important during the country’s sorrowful Trail of Tears march that forced Native American tribes to relocate from southern states to what’s now Oklahoma. “Fort Smith was built because of the Indian Removal Act of 1830,” explains park ranger Cody Faber, noting the so-called Trail of Tears Overlook. “Our (Trail of Tears) path is the river,” Faber continues. “Many of the tribes came up the Mississippi River and then traveled up the Arkansas instead of walking the entire length of the state of Arkansas.” This historic site includes the Visitor Center and Museum, which was first used as soldiers’ barracks and
mess hall, and later included the courtroom and jail. The Commissary Building housed troops during the Civil War, and later court officials. Federal Judge Isaac Parker, the “Hanging Judge,” served from 1875 until 1889. Those sentenced swung from the gallows that remain on the site today. “If you want to understand what’s taking place as a nation in the middle of the 19th century, Fort Smith is a great place to go look,” notes Faber. “It involves so many human stories, good and bad. You have the tragedy of the Trail of Tears, war, slavery, social upheaval, and people overcoming that.” Rustic Hot Springs, a two-and-a-half hour drive southeast of Fort Smith, sits nestled within scenic mountainsides. I was surprised to learn this town was once a notorious hangout for early 20th century gangsters during Prohibition and was where Major League Baseball’s spring training got its start. Why here? “Water is the reason millions of people have come here for centuries,” points out Director of Marketing for Visit Hot Springs Bill Solleder. The springs saturating the grounds have a constant flow of mineral-rich waters at an average 143 degrees Fahrenheit, formed from rainwater first seeping within
OKLAHOMA CITY TO LITTLE ROCK
COAST TO COAST SUMMER MAGAZINE 2021
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